Mixer



H. S. LAMB" MIXER Filed Ap?. 7, 1920 atented Mar. 20, 11923.

y 1,449,333 PATET oFFicE. I

'a' BQLD LAMB, 0F LOS NGELES, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR TO.- WILLIAM.' C.SCHED',

0F LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

MIXER.

Application iled April 7, 1920. Serial N0. 372,053.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, HAROLD S. LAMB, a

citizen of the United States, residing at adapted for use in connectionwith the com-` bustible mixture supplied to an internal combustionengine. v

It is a well known fact that if a whirling spiral motion is imparted tothe flow of combustible mixture through the intake pipe of an internalcombustion engine any globules of unvaporized liquid, held in suspensionin the combustible mixture, will be thrown outwardly against the wall ofthe intake pipe to prevent the passage of such globules to the engineuntil they have been broken up and vaporized, and if the intake pipe issubject t'o heat such globules will be more readily vaporized.

It is the object of the invention to provide an improved device forsetting up such a spiral whirling action by the use of which a morethorough .breaking up of any globules of liquid, held in suspension inthe com-v bustible mixture, and ,more complete subsequent vaporiz'ationof such globules, may beI accomplished than has been ossible heretoforeby the vuse of any of the own forms ofsuch devices.

It is a further object of the invention to provide adevice of thischaracter so designed as to offer no appreciable impediment to theproper flow of the combustible mixture, but which will positively impedethe passage of any globules of liquid held in suspension in the mixtureand. completely break up such liquid globules and cause thorough mixingthereof with the vaporous mixture to provide a homogeneous vaporouscombustible mixture.

In the invention as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, n

Figure 1 is a vertical section throu h the intake and exhaust pipes ofan interna combustion engine with the mlxer yarranged 1n the intakepipe,

Fig. 2 is a transverse section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1. s

In the drawings ,the intake manifold for an internal combustion engineis shown at l and is4 connected. to the intake pipe 2 having the inletvend 3. The exhaust manifold l of the engine is shown at 4.- connected tolan exhaust pipe 5 which surrounds the intake pipe 2. The portion of theintake pipe thus surrounded by the exhaust pipeis, preferably curvedoutwardly from thev respective ends of such incased portion to providean intake pipe, the incased portion ofwhich is of gradually increasingand subsequent decreasing cross sectional area. The portion of theexhaust pipe surrounding the intake pipe is, preferably, similarlycurved t0 prov1 e a space between the exhaust and intake pipes ofuniform cross sectional area.

y By the construction as thus described it will be seen that the hotexhaust gases from the engine will flow past the intake pipe 2 therebyheating vthe outwardly curved portion of the intake pipe. The improvedmixer is arranged within this outwardly curved` portion of the intakeypipe so as to throw any globules-of liquid passing ,through the intakepipe in suspension in the combustible mixture outwardly against theheated Wall of the intake pipe to cause vaporization of such globules.

T he mixer is shown as a flange extending inwardly from the wall of theintake pi e and, preferably, made integral with said intake pipe. Thisflange is shown as of spiral conformation and extending completelyaround the wall of the intake pipe, an axial aperture 6 being vprovidedwithin the curvature of said spiral Harige forming a passage for thecombustible mixture extending'through the intake pipe. The spiral flangeis shown as starting at the mt 7 at which point thelange is of reatively narrow width and as increasing in width to points of greatestwidth, as shown at 8. approximately midway of the length of' the flangeand as then decreasing in width toward the opposite end 9 of the flange.

By this, arrangement it will be seen that a gradually increasing andsubsequent decreasing obstructing area to the'iow through the intakepipe is provided. Furthermore the flange of the mixer is, preferably,arranged, as shown at 10, at a gradually increasing inclination to thedirection of flow indicated by the arrows throughthe intake pipe fromits end 7 toward the points 8 midway' of the length of the mixer at 'fwhich points the flange is approximately at right angles to the iowthrough the intake pipe and is then, preferably, arranged at a graduallydecreasing inclination, as shown at 11, to the direction of flow throughthe intake pipe toward its opposlte end r9. this arrangement an inclinedobstructing` surface to the flow through theintake pipe is providedwhich' is of gradually increasing and vsubsequent decreasing inclinationto the direction of flow, j

The combustible mixture passing through the intake pipe will flow freelythrough the central opening 6, a whirling motion belng given to theflowing mixture bythe spiral baille of the mixer,.and any globules ofsuspended liquid in the 4mixture are thrown outwardly by centrifugalforce against the wall of the intake pipe, and the passage through theintake pipe of such globules will be prevented by the baille flange. Theimpact ofthe globules against ,the wall of theintake pipe willbreak upthese-globules and the heat of the intake pipe will cause vaporizationof such globules andthe complete mixture thereof with the combustiblemixture to form a homogeneous vaporous combustible mixture.

It will be observed that due tothe whirling action thus imparted to theflow of combustible mixture, the pressure ofthe flow through the centerof the intake pipe and the centralopening of the baille flange will beless than the pressure of the portion 'of the. whirling flow which Visadjacent the wall of the intake pipe beneath the baille flange, due tocentrifgual force of the whirl'- ing flow which will be greatest at themost distant points from the axis thereof, that is v at the wall of theintake pipe. Thus it will be seen that there will be a tendency to forcethe yflowing mixture outwardly beneath the baille flange and against thewall of the lintakeY pipe for completely breaking up 'any globules ofunvaporized fuel to cause complete Vaporization thereof.

As clearly shown in the drawings, the device-.consists of a bulbous fuelchamber '2 diverging from the inlet 3 upwardly; The spiral flangeprojects inwardly from the wall of the cham er 2,'and while providing acentral unobstructed passageway for the upward flow of fuel, at the sametime this spiral forms adjacent to the surface of the chamber 2 a spiralor helical path for thel fuel. Therefore, that portion of the fuel which'impinges upon the helical flange is given a rotary or whirling motionso that the fuel is thoroughly mixed before finally discharging from theoutlet of the mixer.

Various changes may be made without departing from the spirit of theinvention as claimed.

' What is claimed is:

1. A mixer comprising a conduit having a central unobstructed passagewayand a lateral, spiral baille forming a spiral path at and along the wallof the mixer, the upper portion'of the mixer chamber having a contractedthroat in which the fluid mixture swirls as it leaves the passage andpath, the conduit being of swelled form, said spiral baille 'consistingof a web the width of which is greatest at the greatest diameter of thswelled portion of the conduit. l

2. A mixer comprismg a conduitl, and a spiral baille forming apassageway through the conduit and so lconstructed as to present aninclined obstructing-surface to the flow through said passageway, theinclination of of said surface relative to the direction of flowdecreasing from an intermediate portion towards its respective ends.

3. A mixer comprising a conduit, and a Y spiral baille ilange'on theinner wall of said conduit and extending into the same to form -an axialpassageway, said flange decreasing in width and inthe inclinationthereof relative to the directionof flow through said passageway from anintermediate portion towards the respective ends of the baille.

4. A mixercomprising a conduit of decreasing cross sectional area froman intermediate portion towards its respective ends, and a spiral baillewithin said conduit and forming an axial passageway through the same,said baille being so arranged as to offer decreasing obstruction to theflow through the passageway from an intermediate portion towards itsrespective ends.

5; A mixer comprising a conduit, and a spiral baille flange extendingcompletely around the inner wall of lsaid conduit and forming anunobstructed axial passage through said conduit, said flange decreasingin'width and in the inclination thereof relative to the direction offlow 'through said conduit from an intermediate portiontowardstherespective ends of the baille.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

HAROLD S. LAMB.

